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Matthew Stafford Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

Rams QB Matt Stafford accounted for all 4 of the team's TDs in Thursday night's 30-20 win over the Vikings. He got rolling early with a 5-yard score to RB Kyren Williams on the Rams' first possession of the night. Stafford's most impressive TD came in the second quarter. He spun away from one Vikings defender, ducked under another, and then fired a laser to WR Cooper Kupp in the back of the end zone from 7 yards out. Stafford connected with WR Demarcus Robinson for his third and fourth scores in the second half. He finished 25 of 34 (74%) for 279 yards (8.2 YPA), 4 TDs, and 0 INTs.

Rams WR Puka Nacua (knee) has been designated to return from IR. He'll get back on the practice field on Tuesday but is very unlikely to play vs. the Vikings on Thursday night. Barring a setback, though, Nacua should have a chance to make it back for Week 9's meeting with the Seahawks. With WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) set to return on Thursday, QB Matt Stafford is getting close to having his full arsenal back. He could be a fantasy factor even in 1-QB leagues over the second half of the season.

Rams HC Sean McVay says WR Cooper Kupp is expected to miss “an extended period of time” and might hit IR, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. If IR is just a maybe, that indicates the timeline sits around four games. With Puka Nacua already out, there’s clear opportunity the next few weeks for other Rams WRs and TE Colby Parkinson. You can also expect to not see QB Matthew Stafford high in our weekly rankings. Check your Free Agent Finder to see who might make sense for your situation

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that the team is placing WR Puka Nacua on IR after he aggravated his right knee injury in Sunday night's loss to the Lions, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports. Nacua is dealing with a PCL sprain that he reportedly hurt in a "more significant" way against Detroit.

The Rams have regularly been among the league leaders in '11' personnel (3-WR) usage under HC Sean McVay. But The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue speculates that the Rams might use more '12' packages (2 WRs, 2 TEs) this season.

The Rams signed QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal. He was decent for the Raiders early last season but then suffered a back injury and struggled when he returned, eventually getting benched. Garoppolo is a subpar NFL starter but a quality backup for the Rams behind 36-year-old Matt Stafford.

The Rams will start QB Carson Wentz in Sunday's game against the 49ers, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. They'll be resting Matthew Stafford in a game they don't need for playoff positioning. That revelation likely confirms that WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua and RB Kyren Williams will also sit. Beyond that, we'll see. We'd be surprised if Demarcus Robinson has elevated to the point of being rested in this game, but we'll be watching for specific reports ahead of Sunday's kick.

The forecast for today's Rams-Ravens game calls for a 97% chance of rain with winds of 10-15 mph and gusts up to 30. Expect lots of running from both offenses in this one. The over/under has dropped from 45.0 to 42.0 -- although the Ravens are still implied for a solid 24.75 points. See the updated projections for this game.

Rams TE Tyler Higbee (neck) is listed as doubtful for this weekend’s game vs. the Ravens. That leaves L.A. with TEs Hunter Long and Davis Allen. Neither is a fantasy option. Higbee’s absence figures to mean a few extra targets to go around for WRs Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.

Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Seahawks. That suggests his right thumb injury shouldn’t be a factor this weekend, although we’d still prefer to see Stafford play a healthy game before considering him as a starter in 1-QB fantasy leagues. Stafford’s return is excellent news for WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

Rams QB Matt Stafford (thumb) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. "I feel pretty confident in my ability to go out there and play at a pretty high level," he said afterward. Stafford will start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks, but we'd still like to see a healthy, productive outing from him before using him in 1-QB fantasy leagues.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that the team is expecting QB Matt Stafford (thumb) to start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. Stafford was able to grip and throw the football in Monday's post-bye-week practice. We'll keep an eye on his progress throughout the week. Stafford would be a shaky QB1 play in Week 11 fantasy lineups, but his return is great news for the Rams' skill-position players.

The Rams are signing Carson Wentz. What's this mean for the QB situation? It likely means that the team saw enough of Brett Rypien in Sunday's ugly loss to the Packers. The Rams waited until Sunday to officially rule QB Matthews Stafford out, so we can only assume his injured right thumb will be ready for game action after the Week 10 bye. That would leave Wentz as ostensibly the new backup. Frankly, we're wondering why some other team with a shaky QB situation didn't take this shot earlier. Wentz can be stashed in deeper superflex leagues, just in case there's any setback with Stafford's thumb.

Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that he's "optimistic" about getting QB Matt Stafford back from his thumb injury after the Week 10 bye. That'd be excellent because QB Brett Rypien was horrible in Green Bay on Sunday, totaling just 130 scoreless passing yards. WRs Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combined for five catches and 80 yards. We'll track Stafford's status when the Rams get back to work next week.

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